'Referee beat us NOT Croatia!' England fans blame official for World Cup defeat

ENGLAND supporters are furiously lashing out at referee Cuneyt Cakir for being “biased” and “cheating” during the emotionally draining semi-final against Croatia which cost England a place in the World Cup final.

Croatia beat the Three Lions 2-1 in extra time after a series of controversial decisions and fans argued that Persic’s equalising goal at the 68th minute should not have been allowed due to a high boot.

Frustrated supporters even called for an investigation by Fifa.

One woman tweeted: "Surely Fifa World Cup should be investigating Cuneyt Cakir after this performance.

“Completely biased throughout.”

Fans argued that Persic’s goal at the 68th minute should not have been allowed due to a high foot (Image: GETTY•EPA)

Emotional England fans watch semi final showdown

The national mood veered from hope to bitter disappointment

Given his history, Mr Cakir was extremely criticised for not penalising the high foot.

In 2013 the Turkish referee infamously sent Nani off for Manchester United in their Champions League match against Real Madrid, after deciding that the Portuguese footballer had hit Alvaro Arbeloa with a high boot.

A supporter tweeted: “So this is the same ref that sent Nani off for that high boot when it was waist high.

Frustrated supporters called for an investigation by Fifa after Cuneyt Cakir's performance (Image: Getty)

"But lets that go?"

Mr Cakir is not new to controversy as he was the official who gave John Terry a red card in the Champions League semi-final game against Barcelona that saw him sit out of Chelsea's Champions league victory.

At the time, Alex Ferguson lashed out at the decision and admitted that he felt it was "hard to keep faith" after the contentious red card.

This is not the referee's first World Cup semi-final, as he officiated the 2013 match between the Netherlands and Argentina.

He was also the referee for the 2015 Champions League final between Juventus and Barcelona in Berlin.